Destination British Columbia and the Northern British Columbia Tourism Association are taking Google Maps users “off-road” to promote the destination.
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British Columbia teams up with Google Maps to offer virtual wilderness treks
Destination British Columbia and the Northern British Columbia Tourism Association are taking Google Maps users “off-road” to promote the destination.
The tourism agencies have been loaned two Google Street View Trekkers – wearable backpacks fitted with 15 separate cameras that collect 360-degree panoramic imagery.
From June to September, teams from Destination British Columbia, Northern BC Tourism and other regional tourism partners will hike desert trails, roam old-growth forests and climb mountains to capture rich content.
Using Google Street View, people will be able to virtually hike in the province’s wilderness.
After the images are collected, they will be sent to the Google Maps team in California to be processed and uploaded to the platform, which takes several months.
When the images go live, British Columbia’s wild places will join a select group of bucket-list Street View Trekker destinations such as the Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Canyon and the Galapagos Islands.
Maya Lange, vice president global marketing, destination BC, said: “Once you experience the power of BC’s wilderness, you are forever under its spell.
“Trekker’s immersive 360-technology will help agents bring to life the majesty of our province to potential customers in an unforgettable way. With this partnership, we are on the leading edge of tourism marketing innovation in today’s hyper-competitive global marketplace.”
